The Economist published an editorial criticizing the decline in agricultural investment over the past 25 years, and called for renewed attention towards the plight of many farmers in developing countries and the importance of agriculture globally.

The recent spike in food prices and the growing world population has necessitated government action, and The Economist argues that the increased aid for agricultural activities must go towards technological advances that boost world food production without depleting resources such as water and land. They write “one way of raising yields stands out: developing genetically modified (GM) crops that, for example, use less water.”

Read the rest of the editorial here

Please comment below and let us know how you think we can increase food production to feed a growing population.

A panel of experts at the British Crop Production Council Congress agreed that agricultural biotechnology will be part of the solution to increasing food production. According to Bayer CropScience’s Julian Little, “To say the only way of producing enough food is through agricultural science and technology is probably not true…but without it there is no chance.”

Read more about the British Crop Production Council Congress here